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Journal ArticleDOI

Interpersonal forgiving in close relationships

01 Aug 1997-Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (American Psychological Association)-Vol. 73, Iss: 2, pp 321-336
TL;DR: Evidence is found consistent with the hypotheses that the relationship between receiving an apology from and forgiving one's offender is a function of increased empathy for the offender and that forgiving is uniquely related to conciliatory behavior and avoidance behavior toward the offending partner.
Abstract: Forgiving is a motivational transformation that inclines people to inhibit relationship-destructive responses and to behave constructively toward someone who has behaved destructively toward them. The authors describe a model of forgiveness based on the hypothesis that people forgive others to the extent that they experience empathy for them. Two studies investigated the empathy model of forgiveness. In Study 1, the authors developed measures of empathy and forgiveness. The authors found evidence consistent with the hypotheses that (a) the relationship between receiving an apology from and forgiving one's offender is a function of increased empathy for the offender and (b) that forgiving is uniquely related to conciliatory behavior and avoidance behavior toward the offending partner. In Study 2, the authors conducted an intervention in which empathy was manipulated to examine the empathy-forgiving relationship more closely. Results generally supported the conceptualization of forgiving as a motivational phenomenon and the empathy-forgiving link.
Citations
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The authors constructed an online experiment as a 2 × 2 factorial design of independent variables (active-passive responsibility admittance vs. high-low sympathetic expression) on public's anger relief with between-subjects comparison.

65 citations


Cites background from "Interpersonal forgiving in close re..."

  • ...For example, Ohbuchi and Sato (1994) emphasized the effect of acceptance of responsibility for past wrongdoings on repairing relations and promoting reconciliation in interpersonal conflicts. Robbennolt (2003) also found that respondents are more willing to forgive an offender who gave an active responsibility admission than one offering a passive responsibility admission....

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  • ...For example, Ohbuchi and Sato (1994) emphasized the effect of acceptance of responsibility for past wrongdoings on repairing relations and promoting reconciliation in interpersonal conflicts....

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  • ...According to McCullough, Worthington, and Rachal (1997), people are more likely to grant forgiveness when they believe the partner sincerely apologized in a close interpersonal relationship....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors aimed to increase apology comprehensiveness and reduce defensiveness using self-affirmation and found that affirmed participants offered more comprehensive apologies and used fewer defensive strategies than control participants.

64 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is shown that social exclusion can result in punishment as well as forgiveness of excluders and that separable neural networks implicated in social cognition and cognitive control are recruited when people choose either to punish or to forgive those who excluded them.
Abstract: This functional magnetic resonance imaging study examined the neural correlates of punishment and forgiveness of initiators of social exclusion (i.e. ‘excluders’). Participants divided money in a modified Dictator Game between themselves and people who previously either included or excluded them during a virtual ball-tossing game (Cyberball). Participants selectively punished the excluders by decreasing their outcomes; even when this required participants to give up monetary rewards. Punishment of excluders was associated with increased activation in the pre-supplementary motor area (pre-SMA) and bilateral anterior insula. Costly punishment was accompanied by higher activity in the pre-SMA compared with punishment that resulted in gains or was non-costly. Refraining from punishment (i.e. forgiveness) was associated with self-reported perspective-taking and increased activation in the bilateral temporoparietal junction, dorsomedial prefrontal cortex, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and ventrolateral and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These findings show that social exclusion can result in punishment as well as forgiveness of excluders and that separable neural networks implicated in social cognition and cognitive control are recruited when people choose either to punish or to forgive those who excluded them.

64 citations


Cites background from "Interpersonal forgiving in close re..."

  • ...refraining from punishment by equally sharing with excluders when sharing was not confounded by strategic motivations aimed at maximizing personal profits) (McCullough et al., 1997; Brüne et al., 2013)....

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  • ...Participants could forgive the excluders, defined as refraining from retaliation and acting prosocial toward the offenders despite the offenders’ hurtful actions (McCullough et al., 1997), by sharing a sum of money equally with them (Brüne et al., 2013)....

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  • ...This, in combination with the positive relationship with perspective-taking, suggests that sharing equally with the excluders is a prosocial tendency, which is likely to reflect an attempt to affiliate with the excluders (McCullough et al., 1997; Molden & Maner, 2013)....

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  • ...Participants could forgive the excluders, defined as refraining from retaliation and acting prosocial toward the offenders despite the offenders’ hurtful actions (McCullough et al., 1997), by sharing a sum of money equally with them (Brüne et al....

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  • ...This, in combination with the positive relationship with perspective-taking, suggests that sharing equally with the excluders is a prosocial tendency, which is likely to reflect an attempt to affiliate with the excluders (McCullough et al., 1997; Molden and Maner, 2013)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report the results of a study among undergraduates in dating relationships that examines staying in a relationship with a transgressor due either to fear of losing a partner or to emotional involvement.
Abstract: Although relational transgressions constitute a potential relational threat, research suggests that some relationships survive them. However, few studies inform as to why individuals try to maintain these relationships, and the impact of their reasons on how they react to transgressions. We report the results of a study among undergraduates in dating relationships that examines staying in a relationship with a transgressor due either to fear of losing a partner or to emotional involvement, and cognitive and communication responses to a transgression. As predicted, staying in such a relationship due to fear of losing one's partner was associated with a variety of negative responses, whereas staying because of emotional involvement was related to positive reactions. Implications of these findings for future research and conflict management are discussed.

64 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors tested theoretical models of the forgivingness association with depression symptoms and social justice commitment as outcome measures and with differentiation of self (DoS) and dispositional humility as mediators.
Abstract: The present study tested theoretical models of the forgivingness – well-being association with depression symptoms and social justice commitment as outcome measures and with differentiation of self (DoS) and dispositional humility as mediators. In doing so, we addressed the need to explicitly frame the study of virtues in a relational view of the self and extended the research on forgivingness and humility that moves beyond a focus on personal benefit and attends to the ways in which virtues also benefit other persons. The sample consisted of 213 graduate students from a religiously-affiliated university who completed a questionnaire of self-report measures. Results supported the proposed models as significant specific indirect effects were observed through DoS and humility. The findings support a self-regulating mechanism, as measured by DoS and dispositional humility, for the protective influence of forgivingness on depression symptoms and the promotive influence of forgivingness on prosocial relating.

64 citations


Cites background from "Interpersonal forgiving in close re..."

  • ...There is a sense in which forgivingness and humility may be understood as relational constructs since an aspect of each definition consists of prosocial relating to another person (Davis et al., 2011, 2013; McCullough et al., 1997, 1998; Worthington, 1998)....

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  • ...…to frame dispositional humility along with DoS as mechanisms of the forgivingness – well-being association; testing the definition that dispositional humility involves accurate self-appraisal, emotional self-regulation, and prosocial relating (McCullough et al., 1997, 1998; Worthington, 1998)....

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References
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Two 10-item mood scales that comprise the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) are developed and are shown to be highly internally consistent, largely uncorrelated, and stable at appropriate levels over a 2-month time period.
Abstract: In recent studies of the structure of affect, positive and negative affect have consistently emerged as two dominant and relatively independent dimensions. A number of mood scales have been created to measure these factors; however, many existing measures are inadequate, showing low reliability or poor convergent or discriminant validity. To fill the need for reliable and valid Positive Affect and Negative Affect scales that are also brief and easy to administer, we developed two 10-item mood scales that comprise the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The scales are shown to be highly internally consistent, largely uncorrelated, and stable at appropriate levels over a 2-month time period. Normative data and factorial and external evidence of convergent and discriminant validity for the scales are also presented.

34,482 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A new coefficient is proposed to summarize the relative reduction in the noncentrality parameters of two nested models and two estimators of the coefficient yield new normed (CFI) and nonnormed (FI) fit indexes.
Abstract: Normed and nonnormed fit indexes are frequently used as adjuncts to chi-square statistics for evaluating the fit of a structural model A drawback of existing indexes is that they estimate no known population parameters A new coefficient is proposed to summarize the relative reduction in the noncentrality parameters of two nested models Two estimators of the coefficient yield new normed (CFI) and nonnormed (FI) fit indexes CFI avoids the underestimation of fit often noted in small samples for Bentler and Bonett's (1980) normed fit index (NFI) FI is a linear function of Bentler and Bonett's non-normed fit index (NNFI) that avoids the extreme underestimation and overestimation often found in NNFI Asymptotically, CFI, FI, NFI, and a new index developed by Bollen are equivalent measures of comparative fit, whereas NNFI measures relative fit by comparing noncentrality per degree of freedom All of the indexes are generalized to permit use of Wald and Lagrange multiplier statistics An example illustrates the behavior of these indexes under conditions of correct specification and misspecification The new fit indexes perform very well at all sample sizes

21,588 citations

Book
01 Jan 1958
TL;DR: The psychology of interpersonal relations as mentioned in this paper, The psychology in interpersonal relations, The Psychology of interpersonal relationships, کتابخانه دیجیتال و فن اطلاعات دانشگاه امام صادق(ع)
Abstract: The psychology of interpersonal relations , The psychology of interpersonal relations , کتابخانه دیجیتال و فن آوری اطلاعات دانشگاه امام صادق(ع)

15,254 citations


Additional excerpts

  • ...Social psychologists have also addressed interpersonal forgiving from time to time (Darby & Schlenker, 1982; Gahagan & Tedeschi, 1968; Heider, 1958; Horai, Lindskold, Gahagan, & Tedeschi, 1969; Weiner, Graham, Peter, & Zmuidinas, 1991)....

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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A scale of current subjective distress, related to a specific event, was based on a list of items composed of commonly reported experiences of intrusion and avoidance, and responses indicated that the scale had a useful degree of significance and homogeneity.
Abstract: Clinical, field, and experimental studies of response to potentially stressful life events give concordant findings: there is a general human tendency to undergo episodes of intrusive thinking and periods of avoidance. A scale of current subjective distress, related to a specific event, was based on a list of items composed of commonly reported experiences of intrusion and avoidance. Responses of 66 persons admitted to an outpatient clinic for the treatment of stress response syndromes indicated that the scale had a useful degree of significance and homogeneity. Empirical clusters supported the concept of subscores for intrusions and avoidance responses.

7,692 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The Dyadic Adjustment Scale as discussed by the authors is a measure for assessing the quality of marriage and other similar dyads, which is designed for use with either married or unmarried cohabiting couples.
Abstract: This study reports on the development of the Dyadic Adjustment Scale, a new measure for assessing the quality of marriage and other similar dyads. The 32-item scale is designed for use with either married or unmarried cohabiting couples. Despite widespread criticisms of the concept of adjustment, the study proceeds from the pragmatic position that a new measure, which is theoretically grounded, relevant, valid, and highly reliable, is necessary since marital and dyadic adjustment continue to be researched. This factor analytic study tests a conceptual definition set forth in eariler work and suggests the existence of four empirically verified components of dyadic adjustment which can be used as subscales [dyadic satisfaction, dyadic cohesion, dyadic consensus and affectional expression]. Evidence is presented suggesting content, criterion-related, and construct validity. High scale reliability is reported. The possibility of item weighting is considered and endorsed as a potential measurement technique, but it not adopted for the present Dyadic Adjustment Scale. It is concluded that the Dyadic Adjustment Scale represents a significant improvement over other measures of marital adjustment, but a number of troublesome methodological issues remain for future research.

6,899 citations